Sedona preservation panel wins state grant to update city historic resource survey; white paper and council presentation set for Jan. 13

Chair Myers opened the Sedona Historic Preservation Commission meeting and commissioners confirmed they would present a white paper and summary of the commission’s work to Sedona City Council on Jan. 13, with the council meeting scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.

A staff member announced that “we were informed at the end of last week that we were awarded the grant from the state, to, match the the funding the city has set aside to update the historic resource survey,” and said the grant acceptance will be submitted to city council and an RFP for a consultant will follow. Staff told the commission the RFP and consultant selection are expected within 2026 and that the related agenda bill and packet materials are due next week (the packet/agenda deadline was repeatedly described as the end of the coming week/noon Thursday).

Why it matters: Commissioners said the grant funding will let the commission update Sedona’s inventory and meet federal Certified Local Government (CLG) expectations. One commissioner summarized the legal context, saying Sedona “is required under the Arizona revised statutes and federal certified local government standards to maintain a historic preservation commission,” framing the grant as a step to meet statutory and program requirements.

What commissioners will present: Vice Chair Segnor volunteered to draft a white paper listing recent accomplishments, legal context and a recommended presentation format for council. Commissioners asked staff to verify statutory citations and numbered items in the draft (members specifically asked staff to check whether the relevant land-development provision was Article 15 or a different section), and staff said she would update the grants section, verify numbers in the packet and circulate a final draft to the commission by the following Monday if possible.

Survey scope and priorities: The commission discussed expanding the survey coverage through 1975 to capture mid-century modern properties, including several Don Woods/Design Group homes and a cluster of houses along Bridal Road and other neighborhoods. Commissioners suggested using GIS-based maps and color-coding survey results by construction era to show council where designated properties cluster uptown and in other neighborhoods.

Landmark nominations and other items: Commissioner Stupak reported that the owner of the property used in the 1944 film Tall in the Saddle, Hermine Peterson, had signed permission to move forward with a landmark nomination; Stupak said Peterson was “very excited” and had asked, “Where do I sign?” Staff asked for color photos and said it would include those images in the packet. The commission also noted other recent administrative actions, including a staff-issued certificate of no effect for artwork next to the museum’s apple barn.

Enforcement and delandmarking: Commissioners raised questions about how properties can be delandmarked and about enforcement when owners remodel without historic-review notification. Staff and commissioners agreed to include a brief explanation of the certificate-of-no-effect process, resurvey priorities and enforcement steps in the white paper and in next year’s work plan.

Procedural action: The commission approved the minutes from its Nov. 10, 2025 meeting by consensus. No formal vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Next steps: Staff will check the statutory citations, verify numbers in the white paper, update the grants and funding section to reflect the award, collect photographs for landmark nominations and circulate a final draft to commissioners. The commission tentatively agreed to cancel the Jan. 12 meeting and meet regularly in February unless council action on the grant requires an earlier meeting. The City Council agenda item to accept the grant is expected to appear on the Jan. 13 council agenda; staff said it will send commissioners the published agenda when available.